Gerry McGovernMay 10

A data center drained 30M gallons of water unnoticed — until residents complained about low water pressure

Residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, noticed low water pressure last year. The utility discovered two unaccounted-for water connections at one of the nation’s largest data center campuses.

“We get this notification from Fayette County water system saying you need to stop watering your lawns to help conserve water."

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/08/georgia-data-centers-water-00909988

A data center drained 30M gallons of water unnoticed — until residents complained about low water pressure

Residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, noticed low water pressure last year. The utility discovered two unaccounted-for water connections at one of the nation’s largest data center campuses.

Politico
Show threadGerry McGovernMay 10

How the data centers operate. Always in secrecy.

"When the county utility investigated, officials discovered two industrial-scale water hookups feeding a data center campus located 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta. One water connection had been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not linked to the company’s account and therefore wasn’t being billed."

https://www.flyingpenguin.com/datacenter-sprawl-pushes-georgia-into-dangerous-water/

In other places, they don't have to steal the water: they get it for free.

Datacenter Sprawl Pushes Georgia Into Dangerous Waters | flyingpenguin

Show threadYimby EarthMay 10
@gerrymcgovern
Sounds to me like the utility ought to just cut the connection instantly and charge the owner with sabotage.
Show threadJeroenMay 10
@YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern Criminal charges for management authorizing this would also make sense.
Show threadPaul SchoeMay 10

@J2

Criminal charges for management?

Making directors responsible for things that they allow to happen in their company?

What an odd approach.

Haven't you learned the first rule of unregulated capitalism?

You can fine a company, but you can never criminally charge the directors whose actions resulted in the criminal actions of their companies. /s

#Capitalism #Unregulated #UnregulatedCapitalism

@YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern

Show threadAKingsburyMay 10

@paulschoe @J2 @YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern

...do any of you really imagine that these datacenters are not subject to regulation?

Show threadbewilderbeast23May 10
@AlexanderKingsbury @paulschoe @J2 @YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern All of us.
Show threadAKingsburyMay 10

@bewilderbeast23 @paulschoe @J2 @YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern

Well, I won't imagine you actually speak for anyone else unless and until I see them saying you do, but for you, if you imagine these sites are unregulated, you are deeply ignorant. Heck, just zoning laws apply; this is very low hanging fruit.

Show threadbewilderbeast23May 10
@AlexanderKingsbury @paulschoe @J2 @YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern You really dont think billionaire corporations get special treatment, 'blind eye,' exemptions and tax breaks, etc from those regulations?
Call me paranoid, call me biased, but I think they do .
Show threadAKingsbury

@bewilderbeast23 @paulschoe @J2 @YimbyEarth @gerrymcgovern

I never said anything of the sort. Of course wealthy groups and individuals can and often do get treated differently.

May 10 at 8:30pmWeb